Community Service and Service Learning at Casady
The Casady Service Learning Program aligns with the School's mission to develop excellence, confidence, and integrity in students and inspire them to realize their potential to make a difference in their community in mind, body, and spirit.
 Primary Division is Montessori-based so its Service Learning Program connects our youngest Cyclones to excellence and to Maria Montessori’s belief that “Global Peace Begins in the Classroom."  Lower Division focuses on project-based Service Learning. Grade-level faculty teams develop student-confidence for initiatives such as the third grade Fair Trade Chocolate Project.  Middle Division incorporates SEE (Service Exploration Experiences), Service Club, International Club, religious education classes, and the School’s traditional “house system” to provide academic outreach. Students develop relationships within the surrounding community and serve at Andrew Johnson Elementary, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Brookdale/Tuscany senior facilities, and others. Proceeds from weekly donut sales provide scholarships at Bishop McAllister College for Ugandan orphan children, which is a project facilitated through Father Tim Sean Youmans’ religious education classes.
Upper Division promotes a service-oriented life, with the intention of yielding joy and peace to the participants. The challenge is to maximize potential and make a difference in local and global communities. The charge is to learn, give, grow, transform. The 45-hour service requirement is intended to align a student’s heart, mind, spirit, and actions. The Upper Division faculty employs service initiatives through personal initiatives, academic curriculum, Student Council, and clubs. 
Four service youth boards in the Upper Division are YAC (Youth Active in the Community) participating in the community to improve lives; Youth LEAD OKCasady (Leaders Engaging Across Differences), Cultural Competency: Identity and Diversity Education; and YMCA YaG (Youth and Government), state-organized model-government program, and Best Buddies International.
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“I believe that participating in service learning not only benefits our community but also broadens a student's outlook on life. Service Learning has given me so many opportunities to change my school, my community, and finally my world. Projects like Challenge 20/20 help Casady students become connected to schools across the world and discuss local problems in a global setting. The Casady Cans Do project has raised awareness and collected funds to help eradicate hunger in Oklahoma. No matter what your passion is, you can find a service learning project that is right for you. Ankita Prasad’08.
More information about the Casady Service Learning Program HERE
| Meaningful Service Service-learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities. | Link to Curriculum Service-learning is intentionally used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards. | Reflection Service-learning incorporates multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society. | Diversity Service-learning promotes understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants. |
| Youth Voice Service-learning provides youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults. | Partnerships Service-learning partnerships are collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address community needs. | Progress Monitoring Service-learning engages participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals, and uses results for improvement and sustainability. | Duration and Intensity Service-learning has sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes |
Senior Literary Exchange Project 12th grade and Kindergarten
Mrs. Whitney Finley, Lead Teacher, English Department Chair. Each trimester Casady seniors take a new English course, similar to college seminar courses. Multiple Genre Creative Writing, taught by Whitney Finley, is one of the courses offered during the winter trimester, and students in this course have concluded a unit of study focused on children’s literature.
After spending a few days reading and critiquing children’s literature, the seniors begin the process of crafting their own children's stories. The seniors work diligently on their projects and are conscientious about content, structure, characterization, illustrations, and use of rhetorical devices. The project culminates with an opportunity for the seniors to share their stories with kindergarten children.
2017-2018 Senior Literary Exchange will be the eighth year for this project. Casady kindergarteners will now craft their own unique stories and reciprocate a sharing time with seniors in the spring.
Senior Literacy Exchange becomes e-books in 2018. See it HERE
Senior Literacy Exchange becomes e-books in 2018. See it HERE
From eBooks workshop from Dr. Frier!
Here are links to the resources we discussed and shared:
All of the 12th grade eBook projects from Whitney Finley's students:
This is the rubric and instruction sheet that Shelly and Jennifer are using for their animal research ebook project with students, this is something you could modify or I could help you modify to use with your students:
All our Making Media Monday resource links are on:
Let me know how I can assist you all further with your classroom eBook projects!
Mrs. Finley's Senior English Class students read the children's books they created to kindergarten kids in the Primary Division on Thursday, February 17, 2017 from 2:30-3:00 pm.
Senior Metaphor Project 2nd Grade and 12th Grade English Class
Dr. Bonnie Gerard, UD English Lead Project Teacher. The senior English metaphor project with the lower division came about as an idea for how we as a class could share what we are learning about conceptual metaphor and how it shapes thought with the broader community. The second graders have a poetry unit in the spring, and so by coordinating with the second-grade team of teachers, we were able to create an interactive cross-divisional lesson plan that would benefit both the second graders and the seniors in content, skills and character development. This project has been implemented on a yearly basis since 2005.
Meteorology Class and LD Service-Learning Project Proposal
collaboration between Dr. Greg Zamaripa, Science Lead Project Teacher: Project between meteorology classes and a couple of Science classes in the Lower Division
Meteorology students met with LD students to teach them about tornadoes and safety. High School seniors built tornado models. When boiling water and using a fan above the models, a distinct vortex is created. UD students showed LD students how the tornado models work and also provided some background in how tornadoes form followed with a discussion of safety procedures and smart phone apps available.
Classroom with a Cause
Sounds great! How do I get started?
1. Download the Classrooms with a Cause facilitator and student resources.
2. Students take the Youth Changing the World online training (for middle and high school students) or the Kids in Action online training (for elementary school students).
3. If planning a Classrooms with a Cause project that includes a Global Youth Service Day activity,register your project here.
The Following YAC Projects started at the completion of Classroom with a Cause Independent Study Trimester Courses
The Following YAC Projects started at the completion of Classroom with a Cause Independent Study Trimester Courses
- The Perfect Pair: Socks for the Homeless Project: March 2016-May 2016: Ellison's Project
https://classroom.google.com/c/OTg0ODk4OTM4
Dormant Service-Learning Upper Division Project
Oklahoma Blue Thumb Program originates from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Water Quality Division. It is a nonpoint source pollution education program that is at work throughout the state. Nonpoint source pollution is the "pollution for which the specific point of origin is not well-defined." Both urban and rural lifestyles can contribute, and a few examples of nonpoint source pollution are: Sediment from land clearing activities. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff. Animal waste runoff. Gasoline and oil which enters water bodies. Grass clippings placed in creeks or lakes. Blue Thumb helps citizens become aware of the power they have to make decisions that help keep our water resources clean. The Blue Thumb Project Program was part of the ecology class under the supervision of Science Teacher, Mr. Mark Delgrosso
Charity Water Project: Mr.Josh Bottomly, Lead Teacher, English Class
The project met the goal of raising $20,000 to provide a village in Africa with a well for clean drinking water. Mr. Bottomly stated, “The service hours are rewarded for students actively participating in partnership with Charity Water to raise $20,000 to provide clean water, new bathroom facilities, and new hygiene resources for 1,000 African students.
The project was launched in Mr. Bottomly's English elective classroom, Videos and Literature with a Conscience. Students worked collaboratively to leverage their desire to tackle a global issue in a local way. The majority of in-class work was devoted to strategic planning and creative design (t-shirts, sweat bands, blog, promotional video, and literature). Outside of class the majority of hours were spent putting the plan into action from speaking in chapel, to organizing and speaking at the Heritage Hall-Casady basketball game, from t-shirt sales to car washes, from organizing and executing Thunder night to organizing and executing 2 dances.
The President of the Student Council, Caitlin Britt demonstrated unstinting leadership. Early in September, Caitlin was chosen by her classmates unanimously to lead this water campaign. Not only was Caitlin the impassioned voice of the project, but she was also the guts of the project in terms of showing intestinal fortitude when things got tough. Caitlin persevered when her peers suffered a kind of "compassion fatigue" and somewhat quit the campaign trail. She showed gritty resolve and exclaimed a defiant “No" when it looked like we would not reach our $20K goal. I'll never forget showing up for the car wash and seeing her out in drenching rain washing cars with a few other STUCO members. Inclement weather was not going to deter Caitlin from her task.
Rosie Atkinson joined the H2OPE team soon after the project was launched and added kerosene to the fire. She organized fundraiser events like the Christmas dance, as well as rejuvenated the campaign late this last month when she was able - with the help of her father - to rally generosity and support from 15 local restaurants. The contributions from these restaurants helped fulfill the mission. Both of these extraordinary young women deserve recognition for seeing this mission through to the end. Without both of them, this project would never have succeeded.”
Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning Experience: Lead Teacher: Carmen Clay: http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/2009/06/ollantaytambo-tini-2009-project.html Service Learning Program and Spanish Classes helped build an environmentally friendly playground with the students from an Ollantaytambo elementary school. After her first trip, a student participated Louisa L'10 stated, “The most rewarding thing was bonding and playing games with my group and when the playground went up; the least, museum tours. Our instructor Paul was nice and knowledgeable. He was funny, kind to everyone, and still made sure our best interests were at heart. Joaquin was funny and seem to know everyone in Peru. He was helpful and caring and we became close, very close to him and Paul. The community was very close and affectionate. It seem to be a carefree lifestyle and kindness was in abundance.” “The trip made me realize how lucky I am and helped me appreciate it. It inspired me to help my community. My group was divided at first, but as time went on, we became very close and now I know I have made great friends.” Ollantaytambo, Peru, 2009 Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning and Language Experience: http://casady-peru-09.blogspot.com/2009/06/casady-peru-first-photo-rafting-and.html Lead teachers: Mrs. Clay (Planning and trip preparation), Miss. Bornhoft and Mr. Pena. Louisa was also part of a service/language project in Peru from June 1-16, 2009. The group had reading discussions of the book, Three Cups of Tea facilitated by Mr. Chris Bright and Mr. Pena. Jason Hunter, from World Leadership School was the onsite contact and facilitated the group reflections in Peru. Louisa said that "the best part of the trip was meeting her host family. The worst part was climbing the Andes. Louisa loved the community and her host family very much. Her family was “more” than nice and giving. They went out of their way to help. Ollanta was fun and loving." The trip might have not changed her, but made Louisa aware of her luxuries and inspired her to do more with what she has. She used all the items she packed. She could not have lived without her warm coat and her filtering water bottle. She wished she had brought more pants. She loved the experience. Louisa’s most memorable moment of her second trip to Peru was playing soccer with the kids because it was a bounding time. She also overcame her fear of white water rafting.
Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning Experience: Lead Teacher: Carmen Clay: http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/2009/06/ollantaytambo-tini-2009-project.html Service Learning Program and Spanish Classes helped build an environmentally friendly playground with the students from an Ollantaytambo elementary school. After her first trip, a student participated Louisa L'10 stated, “The most rewarding thing was bonding and playing games with my group and when the playground went up; the least, museum tours. Our instructor Paul was nice and knowledgeable. He was funny, kind to everyone, and still made sure our best interests were at heart. Joaquin was funny and seem to know everyone in Peru. He was helpful and caring and we became close, very close to him and Paul. The community was very close and affectionate. It seem to be a carefree lifestyle and kindness was in abundance.” “The trip made me realize how lucky I am and helped me appreciate it. It inspired me to help my community. My group was divided at first, but as time went on, we became very close and now I know I have made great friends.” Ollantaytambo, Peru, 2009 Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning and Language Experience: http://casady-peru-09.blogspot.com/2009/06/casady-peru-first-photo-rafting-and.html Lead teachers: Mrs. Clay (Planning and trip preparation), Miss. Bornhoft and Mr. Pena. Louisa was also part of a service/language project in Peru from June 1-16, 2009. The group had reading discussions of the book, Three Cups of Tea facilitated by Mr. Chris Bright and Mr. Pena. Jason Hunter, from World Leadership School was the onsite contact and facilitated the group reflections in Peru. Louisa said that "the best part of the trip was meeting her host family. The worst part was climbing the Andes. Louisa loved the community and her host family very much. Her family was “more” than nice and giving. They went out of their way to help. Ollanta was fun and loving." The trip might have not changed her, but made Louisa aware of her luxuries and inspired her to do more with what she has. She used all the items she packed. She could not have lived without her warm coat and her filtering water bottle. She wished she had brought more pants. She loved the experience. Louisa’s most memorable moment of her second trip to Peru was playing soccer with the kids because it was a bounding time. She also overcame her fear of white water rafting.
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